Meta DeKalb Data Center
Operating · Owner: Meta1 · Congressional district 14 · Owner type: Owned by a hyperscaler
Jobs
This project is in IL-14. Your representative is Lauren Underwood.
Lauren Underwood (D), U.S. Representative IL-14 · 202-225-2976 · website
How many local workers and apprentices will this project employ? Who will pay for its grid and water upgrades? Where can residents see those commitments in writing? All officials for this project
What does this mean for your community?
Electric bills
- What we know
- No project-specific public estimate identified.
- What remains unknown
- The effect of this project on household bills.
- Who can answer
- Your state utility commission and your utility's rate cases.
Water
- What we know
- No project-specific public estimate identified.
- What remains unknown
- How much water this project will use and where it comes from.
- Who can answer
- Your local water utility and county commission.
Housing
- What we know
- No project-specific public estimate identified.
- What remains unknown
- Effects on local land prices, rents and housing.
- Who can answer
- Local land records and planning commission minutes.
Taxes and incentives
- What we know
- State and local sales tax exemption for up to 20 years, estimated value $50.0 million (state estimate).
- What remains unknown
- Whether the commitments in the agreement are met.
- Who can answer
- Your state economic development agency and county commission.
Verified facts
- Planned investment: $800 million committed investment (2021 state agreement)3
- Tax incentive: State and local sales tax exemption for up to 20 years, estimated value $50.0 million (state estimate)3
- Planned investment: more than $1 billion investment (company figure)2
Find jobs here
We link out to real listings and do not host job posts. Links carry no tracking. Checked Nov 4, 2026.
Companies tied to this site
- Meta: careers site owner
Job boards, union halls and apprenticeships
Job boards
Union halls and apprenticeships
Who represents this project?
A question to ask them: How many local workers and apprentices will this project employ? Who will pay for its grid and water upgrades? Where can residents see those commitments in writing?
Your current officials
- JB Pritzker (D), Governor
- Richard J. Durbin (D), U.S. Senator · Leaves this office Jan 2027 · 202-224-2152 · contact form
- Tammy Duckworth (D), U.S. Senator · 202-224-2854 · contact form
- Lauren Underwood (D), U.S. Representative IL-14 · 202-225-2976 · website
Officials taking office in January 2027
- Juliana Stratton (D), U.S. Senator-elect
A question you could ask them: who will pay for the power lines and water service this site needs?
Their statements and votes · All sites in Dekalb County · Something wrong? Fix it
What they have said
as we see expansions of data centers, we know that many Illinoisans are concerned about rising utility costs. And we have to address that.10
Here in Illinois, one of the things that we did was we lifted the moratorium on nuclear energy plants.10
Nearby sites
- Edged DeKalb Campus (Project Vector), Dekalb County, IL · 3 miles · Permitted
- Meta, Dekalb County, IL · 4 miles · Operating
- KARIS DeKalb Campus (Peace and Gurler Roads), Dekalb County, IL · 4 miles · Permitted
- Rochelle Technology Center, IL · 13 miles · Operating
- LFF Industrial, Ogle County, KS · 13 miles · Paused
Sources
- 1.Sue Data Centers, Meta DeKalb Data Center listing, accessed Nov 5, 2026. ↩
- 2.Meta, Meta Data Centers, United States locations page, accessed Nov 5, 2026. ↩
- 3.Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Data Center Investment Program 2025 Annual Report, table of MOUs (p. 8), 2026. ↩
- 4.Associated Press race call, 2026 Governor IL result. ↩
- 5.Associated Press race call, 2026 U.S. Senate IL result. ↩
- 6.durbin.senate.gov release, durbin.senate.gov release statement. ↩
- 7.duckworth.senate.gov release, duckworth.senate.gov release statement. ↩
- 8.Associated Press race call, 2026 U.S. House IL-14 result. ↩
- 9.House Clerk, Roll Call 312, House Clerk, Roll Call 312 vote record. ↩
- 10.C-SPAN primary debate transcript, Jan 26, 2026, C-SPAN primary debate transcript, Jan 26, 2026 statement, Jan 26, 2026. ↩
Questions
How many jobs does a data center create?
It varies a lot by site and construction crews are much larger than the permanent staff that runs a site. We only show figures linked to a primary public source. A blank means we have not linked a source yet, not zero. Source
What trades build data centers?
Electricians do the largest share of the work, followed by pipefitters and HVAC mechanics for cooling, ironworkers, equipment operators, laborers and low voltage and controls technicians. Running sites hire data center technicians, facilities staff and security. Source
How do I find a data center job near me?
Use the Find jobs here links on this page. They go straight to each company's own careers site, the local union hall and the U.S. Department of Labor apprenticeship finder. We link out and do not host listings. Source
Every figure links to a public source. A blank means we have not linked a source yet, not zero. Sources and methods